Part 4: Where Happiness is NOT; Life Forces and their actions.
Ayurveda and Yoga philosophy describe three forces which maintain life. These forces create all form and energy. They are called Sattwa, Rajas and Tamas. (This is a philosophical post, for those who like it!)
Rajas is the force of action, activity, motion. Rajas makes things happen, destabilizes the status quo. The positive aspects of Rajas are activity and creativity.
The negative aspects are excess, unfocussed or negative activity, excess passion directed in the wrong way. A person with too much rajas has a difficult time meditating, focusing, making well-thought-out decisions and may have emotions that tend to be, manic or anxious.
Health issues associated with excess Rajas are Vata and Pitta imbalances, inflammation, pain, mental imbalances.
(Rajas is sometimes thought to be the Sympathetic Nervous System)
Tamas is the force of inertia, Tamas is in many ways the opposite of Rajas. (Activity and Inactivity. Kind of like Yin and Yang, but not exactly!)
The positive aspect of Tamas is stability. Stability is essential to life.
A person with too much Tamas is prone to inaction, not changing even when change is necessary, and may be prone to obesity, depression, tumors, congestion, colds.
(Tamas is sometimes thought to be the Parasympathetic Nervous System)
Real, lasting happiness is found in the state of Sattwa.
In the next and final post in this series, we will look at Sattwa, the force of balance, bliss, peace of mind.
